The next step in the overhaul of local government in Kent took an important step today with the start of a massive consultation exercise.
Stakeholders are to be invited to provide feedback on the five different options put forward by the county’s 14 councils.
Under local government reorganisation (LGR), announced in late 2024 by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, all of Kent’s council will effectively abolish themselves and be replaced by a much smaller number of large unitary authorities.
The Labour government aims to streamline local government and make it more efficient as well as save money.
Ministers have received a total of 52 submissions from local leaders in 14 regions, including Kent, which they say “show plans to simplify the needless duplication and reduce bureaucracy, and they have today been put forward for local people, organisations, and businesses to have their say”.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) statement said: “This is the latest step in our plans to reorganise local government which will end the current wasteful two-tier system and replace it with stronger unitary councils that can deliver for local people.”
The MHCLG will seek the views of interested parties, such as the public sector, unions and businesses, before the secretary of state moves the process onto the next stage.
The local government minister, Alison McGovern, will also welcome feedback from residents as well as local community associations, the voluntary sector and town and parish councils. The deadline is March 28.
In a letter to local authorities, the minister wrote: “Our timetable is ambitious, but it is the right thing to do. Local government reorganisation will simplify local government and deliver councils who are equipped to drive economic growth, improve local public services, and lead and empower their communities.”
Announcing the consultation, Ms McGovern added: “Unitary councils provide clarity for residents and are more effective.
“That’s why we’re carrying out the biggest change to local government in a generation, and I would encourage local people and businesses to share their views in shaping the future of their area.”
Leader of Maidstone Borough Council, the Green Party’s Stuart Jeffery, said: “I am a little annoyed that the consultation is focused on the ‘stakeholders’ when the biggest stakeholder is the public. I want them to be able to shout the loudest.
“Reorganising local government may not sound sexy but it will have a profound impact on lives of every resident in Kent, therefore I really want people to have their say and I urge everyone to engage with the government’s consultation.
“The plan that I think is best, the three unitary model, is viable and aligns public services across the county, ensuring that we work together for the benefit of all residents.
“No other model does this so I will be campaigning tirelessly to persuade ministers to adopt this. The three-unitary model is big enough to make a difference, but small enough to care.”
The options are:
Option one: Known as 3a, this would consist of three unitary councils consisting of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west and Ashford, Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe in the east.
Option two: Referred to as 4b, four unitary councils consisting of Dartford, Gravesham and Medway in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west; Swale, Ashford and Folkestone and Hythe in the middle of Kent and Canterbury, Thanet and Dover in the east.
Option three: KCC announced its intention to explore the case for a single unitary council, known as 1a, covering Kent and Medway supplemented with three area assemblies of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells in the west and Ashford, Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe in the east.
Option four: Called 4d, Medway Council is proposing a four-unitary model with changes to existing council boundaries, consisting of parts of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale in the north; the remaining part of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway, with Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, and parts of Tonbridge and Malling in the west; Maidstone, Ashford with the remaining parts of Tonbridge and Malling, Swale, and part of Folkestone and Hythe; and Canterbury, Thanet, Dover with the remaining parts of Swale and Folkestone and Hythe in the east.
Option five: Known as 5a, Gravesham Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council have developed a proposal for a five-unitary model with boundary changes, consisting of Dartford, Gravesham, parts of Medway west of the River Medway, and Swanley in the north; Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells, and Maidstone (excluding Swanley) in the west; the remainder of Medway with the western part of Swale (Sittingbourne area) in the middle; the rest of Swale (Faversham area) combined with Canterbury and Thanet; and finally, Ashford, Folkestone & Hythe, and Dover in the east.
In a joint statement, council leaders in Kent and Medway, said: “Our councils are your councils and it is important you have your say on their future and how they deliver vital services.
“It’s now over to you and organisations throughout Kent and Medway to help ministers make an informed decision.”
Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), said he was unsurprised all five options were put through to stakeholders.
He added: “At this stage, to whittle the five down to say, two options, might leave the government open to accusations of pre-determination.”
